Combination applicator and closure



April 16, 1940. s, LQWEN 2,197,052

COMBINATION APPLICATOR AND CLOSURE Filed Feb. 1. 193"! INVENTOR smwu'r [Oh/4! ZATTORNEY Patented Apr. 16,

Stanley Lowen, New York, N. Y. Application February 1, 1937, Serial No.'128,429

3 Claims. (01. 15-435) This case relates to material applying and sealing means attached to a collapsible tube of material.

The object of. the simple, practical, and inexpensive combination applicator and tube closure attachable to a collapsible tube containing material to be applied 'by the applicator to an external object.

Further, the object is .to provide such a combination applicator and tube closure in which the closure is constructed to serve as a one-way eject valve.

Still further, "the object is to provide a combination applicator and material sealer and tube closure which may be constructed as a rigid assembly and attachable as a unit to a collapsible tube. 1

Other objects will appear from the following parts of the specification and from the drawing,

in which:

Fig. 1 is a view of the tube and combination applicator and closure with the latter elements in section, and r Fig. 2 is a top view of the combination appli cator and closure and collapsible tube.

Referring to the drawing, I is a collapsible tube containing a fluid or viscous substance. For

.the purposes of the disclosure the tube will be considered as containing a viscous substance; for example, shoe cream. The neck II of the tube, defining the mouth or exit opening of tube, is flanged outwardly at the upper end to provide an outwardly turned lip or flange l2. A molded resilient rubber closure or cover I3 is formed with a collar H which is slipped over and past the neck flange" i2 and springs into embracing coaction with the neck ll, thus interlocking with the latter to attach the closure to the tube. The closure i3 is releasably re-' tained against .removal from the neck and tube by the engagement of the bottom of flange l2 with the upper edge or 'shoulder oi col1arl4. Above the mouth 0! the tube, closure i3 is formed with achamber l joining collar ll.

The lower end of the wall of chamber I5 is shaped to snugly engage the upper curved edge of the flange l2. Thus. thereis a snug engagement of the collar H with neck |-'I,,oi the upper edge of collar I 4 with the-bottom oi flange l2,

and of the lower end of the wall of chamber Ii with the side of flange i2. Due to this snug flt oi the aforementioned portions of resilient clo-' sure it with neck II and flange 12, a tight seal is provided between the mouth of tube It and the portions or the closure below the efl'ective porinvention is to provide a tion of chamber it. Thus, any material ejected from tube It will flow into chamber" and not tend to run down the sides of'the flange I! or neck II. a.

The head or top it of closure I8 is formed 5 centrally with a slit H which is tightly closed, due to the inherent resiliency oi the closure" material, in the absence of pressure against the bottom of the closure head. The head l6 has a substantially flat top, while its bottom, torming 10 the root oi chamber II, is dome-shaped or arched, with the portions-defining and bounding the slit or flssure ll inclining upwardly and on- I positely towards the fissure or converging towards the fissure. 'Thus, the head l8,-which may be termed a distensiblediaphr m, is thinned at the fissure and relatively thick at the rim. When pressure is exerted against the bottom of head IS, the portions of the head divided by slit ll expand, and silt l1 opens. Thus, if the walls of tube III are squeezed, material will be forced out of the mouth 01' the tube, into chamber II, against the internal upwardly inclined fissuredeflning portions of head l8, wedging said portions apart to distend or to open the slit 11, per- 5 mitting the material to discharge through the slit l'l to the exterior of the closure. Upon relaxation of pressure on the walls of tube 10, the pressure of the ejected material on the bottom of head It of closure I! will be relieved and the 80 divided portionsuoi head I! will return'to nor- 1 mal condition, and slit II will again close.

Thus, closure .l3 normally serves completely to close tube It, and shut all material flow while when material is squeezed out oi tube ill, the slit 5 ll of the closure opensto permit emission of the material from the tube to the outside of the. closure, Closure l3 may be said, then, to include a one-way eject valve for the material in the collapsible tube.

40 Rigidly fastened to the upper surface of head l6 of closure It by any suitable means as by a glue binder i8 is an applicator pad or a dauber 20 which may be of any desirable form or ma-i teriai, For the purposes of the disclosure, the 5 applicator is shown as a spongy element which may be made of sponge rubber, velure, or the like. ,Centrally through the applicator 20 is formed a vertical channel 1i superposed on or in.

alinement with slit I"! of closure l3.

When the Walls of tube III are squeezed, material flows into chamber I 5 of closure l3, presses against the head l6 oithe closure, opens valve slit I1; and is forced through the slit and through alined channel 2| and deposited on applicator 10, \u

The applicator now supplied with the ejected material may then be used to apply the material to an external object. In using the applicator, tube I! may be utilized and serve as a handle for the applicator as the latter is rubbed across or dabbed against an external object to apply the material to the object.

The combined, rigidly connected tube closure or seal and applicator, described above, is simply and economically made as a unit assembly and may be conveniently and easily attached to the tube. The advantages of the combined closure and applicator include elimination of the necessity for providing a separate applicator detached from the tube and which may be displaced, and

elimination of the necessity for the user to handle the applicator itself with the attendant annoyance of having the material smeared on the hand and fingers of the user. The closure itself forms an effective and complete seal for the tube contents so that a separate closure cap'or element is not necessary and at the same time the closure serves as a base and rigid support and carrier for the applicator.

While the invention has been disclosed in the illustrated and described form, it is to be understood that such variations, departures, or changes in the form or details thereof as are suggested .by and fall within the spirit and body of themesent invention are intended to be coveredas indicated by the following claims.

I claim: r l. A combination applicator and closure for a substance-containing collapsible tube; comprising a hollow, resilient closure formed with a collar.

embracing and attached to the neck of the ,tube. and having a wall extending across the mouth of the tube and cut through with a valvular fissure normally completely closed due to inherent resiliency of the closure material and adapted to entirely shut ofi substance discharge, said wall having inside surfaces converging towards the fissure and adapted to be wedged apart, by the pressure of substance squeezed from the .tube, so as to open said fissure for enabling the substance to be discharged therethrough, and an applicator pad rigidly attached to the outside of said wall and provided with a fissure alined with said valvular fissure and through which the discharged' substance may be deposited in the outside of said applicator pad to be applied thereto to an external object.

2. A combination applicator and closure for phragmmaterial and adapted to entirely shut oil? the open end of the container, the diaphragm 5 being formed with relatively thick portions at the rim and a relatively thinner central-portion cut through with a valvular fissure normally closed due to inherent resiliency of the diadischarge through the closure of substance from the container, said thin, central portion of the diaphragm being readily distensible, by application of pressure exerted against the inside of the diaphragm by substance forced from the container by collapsing of the latter so as to cause the valvular fissureto open for discharging the substance therethrough, and an applicator pad having its base attached-to the outside-of the diaphragm and cut through with an opening or fissure alined with said valvular fissure and through whichthe discharged substance may be delivered to the external face or faces of the applicator pad, said thick rim portions of .the diaphragm forming a firm foundation for the ap- 2 plicator pad, while the latter is applying the delivered substance to an external object.

3. A combination applicator and closure for a collapsible tube containing a viscous substance and having an open neck, comprising a hollow 30' one-piece molded closure of" resilient material having a collar embracing and interlocked with the tube neck to attach the closure to the tube, said closure having a diaphragm extending across the tube opening, and cut through intermediately 3 with a valvular fissure normally completely closed due to inherent resiliency of its bounding portions, the outside of the diaphragm being substantially fiat and the inner surfaces of said bounding portions being inclined upwardly and oppositely towards the'fissure to be wedged apart by pressure of the viscous substance squeezed out of the tube so as to distend said fissure for opening ittc enable the substance to discharge therethrough, and an absorbent dauber having a sub- 4 stantially fiat base attached to the outside of the diaphragm and cut through' with an opening or fissure alined with the valvular fissure and through which the discharged viscous substance from the tube may fiow to the outside of the dauber' while, in its course, infiltrating the interior of the dauber.

' STANLEY LOWEN. 

